After leaving the auction house, Xiao Xue's group ditched their black-and-white robes and headed straight for the market district.
Utan City truly deserves its reputation as one of the Jia Ma Empire's major cities; the place is bustling. Even under the scorching midday sun, the streets are still flooded with people.
Xiao Xue, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Xun Er entered through the market gate, where two Xiao Family guards were posted.
They clearly recognized the three. Startled for a moment, they immediately bowed. "Third Young Master, Fourth Young Miss, Miss Xun'er."
Xiao Xue and the others nodded and walked straight into the market.
They hadn't gone more than a few steps before Xiao Xun Er stopped at a stall and picked up a pale-green bracelet to examine.
Xiao Xue gave her a casual glance, didn't pause, and followed Xiao Yan instead.
In Utan City, nothing could threaten Xiao Xun Er; letting her wander the market alone was fine.
So Xiao Xue naturally stuck with her Cheap older brother, hoping to leech off the Protagonist Halo and snag a bargain or two.
After passing several stalls, Xiao Yan finally stopped.
He bent down, looked at a green crystal on the stall that still had traces of blood, and exhaled in relief. "Found it at last."
A first-order Wood-Attribute Magic Core—one of the essential Materials for refining Foundation Establishment Elixir.
The other herbs needed are common and can be bought in any pharmacy; Xiao Yan's trip today was for the core.
As he reached out toward the core, a strange feeling suddenly surged in his heart.
His hand froze for an instant, then resumed its movement while his gaze casually swept the stall.
Moments later, his eyes settled on a black iron shard beside the core.
The shard looked ancient, covered in rust and flecks of mud, as though freshly dug from the earth.
Xiao Xue noticed Xiao Yan's odd behavior but made no move.
For the Protagonist to fish up some treasure while shopping is practically standard fare.
If her memory served, inside that shard was a Dou Technique called Suction Palm.
So she naturally stayed out of it.
"Hey, Little Yanzi, buy that black shard—there's good stuff inside…"
Just as Xiao Yan felt puzzled, Old Yao's voice suddenly rang in his mind.
Hearing it, Xiao Yan blinked unobtrusively and gave a slight nod.
After some haggling, Xiao Yan bought the first-order core for four hundred and eighty gold coins.
The iron shard was thrown in by the stall owner as a freebie.
When it came time to pay, Xiao Yan scratched his head in embarrassment and looked at Xiao Xue.
Xiao Xue sighed with a smile, settled the bill for him, and Xiao Yan stored everything in his storage ring before the two walked toward where Xun'er had been.
"Big brother, is there something inside that iron shard?" Xiao Xue asked quietly after a few steps.
Xiao Yan blinked, then realized what she meant.
His little sister's Soul Power was far stronger than his; of course she'd sensed the anomaly.
"Good things are meant to be shared, right?" Xiao Xue said sweetly.
Xiao Xue remembered Suction Palm was a Xuan-rank Low-Grade Dou Technique, and at Major Achievement it could suck up thousand-pound boulders.
In battle, its fierce pull could even rip blood straight out of an enemy's body!
For someone who could control the water in a human body, even a Xuan-rank Low-Grade technique packed decent power—perfect as a stopgap.
Xiao Yan could only nod, half laughing and half crying at her reaction.
They soon found Xun'er, but Xiao Xue hadn't expected to run into Jia Lie Ao of the Jia Lie Family here.
Both Xiao Yan and Jia Lie Ao were minor celebrities in Utan City—Xiao Yan for being Trash, Jia Lie Ao for his love-'em-and-leave-'em reputation.
Neither fame was flattering, yet they were still quasi-celebrities.
When they found her, Jia Lie Ao was clinging to Xun'er like sticky candy.
Jia Lie Ao's appearance in the Xiao Family market had its reasons.
Days earlier, a carriage bearing the Cloud Mist Sect crest had rolled into the Xiao estate—Nalan Yanran and her party arriving to break the engagement.
Nalan Yanran hadn't paraded through the streets shouting "I'm from Cloud Mist Sect," yet she hadn't hidden her tracks either.
Thus many in Utan City saw the Cloud Mist carriage enter the Xiao gate.
The other two great families—Jia Lie and Aoba—also noticed.
In the original story, by now the broken engagement was already public knowledge and Xiao Yan had once again become the city's laughingstock.
This time, under the Xiao Family's deliberate control, nothing about "the day of the breakup" leaked, and Xiao Xue's feat of "A Cup of Water Shattering Five Realms" was likewise hushed up.
Days passed with no news, and the other two families grew restless.
Only select members of the Xiao and Nalan families knew of the marriage contract; everyone else could only speculate why Cloud Mist Sect had come.
If the Xiao Family were to ally with Cloud Mist Sect, it would be bad news for every other power in Utan City.
Following his father Gale Bi's orders, Jia Lie Ao came to probe the Xiao Family.
And being the libertine he was, the moment he saw Xun'er alone he latched on like a leech.
"Young Master Jia Lie, long time no see," Xiao Xue said with a smile as she stepped through the onlookers.
Seeing Xiao Yan and Xiao Xue, Jia Lie Ao frowned, clearly annoyed at the ruined atmosphere.
But recalling Xiao Yan's notorious low cultivation and Xiao Xue's years of stagnation, he felt confident again.
He'd heard Xiao Xue had been stuck at the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi for years; even if she'd broken through, she'd at best be a fledgling Dou Practitioner.
I'm a Two-Star Dou Practitioner—why should I fear her?
Jia Lie Ao pep-talked himself.
He cupped his fists in salute. "Young Master Xiao Yan, Miss Xiao Xue, greetings."
His manners were impeccable, movements precise, tone sincere.
And the more perfect he acted, the more nauseating it became.
The ones who jump out rudely are low-level annoying.
But those who deliberately lower themselves, wearing respect like a mask while sporting a punch-worthy smile—truly disgusting.
Xiao Xue couldn't be bothered with such a minor cannon-fodder character; he existed solely for the early-stage Protagonist to flex on.
But he had crossed the line by setting his sights on Xiao Xun Er.
And Xiao Xue vaguely recalled this small fry would later cause the Xiao Family considerable trouble.
Naturally she gave him no courtesy.
Seconds ticked by; after ten, Xiao Yan and Xiao Xue still said nothing. Jia Lie Ao coughed awkwardly and straightened up—
only to find his body suddenly heavy, unable to stand upright!
It felt as if his blood were being tugged by some unseen force, dragging him down, making his body unbearably heavy.
Bizarre—too bizarre!
Jia Lie Ao grunted and circulated his Dou Qi, intending to rely on his Two-Star Dou Practitioner strength to forcibly break the eerie force.
But the moment he struck with all his might, the mysterious power vanished without warning!
Jia Lie Ao stumbled and crashed to the ground, limbs flailing in an ungainly sprawl.
"Oh my, Young Master Jia Lie, whatever are you kowtowing for?"
Laughter erupted around him. Flushed with shame, Jia Lie Ao leapt up and punched straight at Xiao Xue.
Xiao Yan's face changed; Xiao Xun Er's gaze sharpened. Before either could move, the surreal scene before them made their eyes widen.
Xiao Xue leisurely raised her right hand and, with utter casualness, pointed a finger at the air.
Then—bang!—Jia Lie Ao's right fist—
exploded.